Dumsor is back; More than 240MW of power shed daily




A major challenge for power producers to get crude oil to power thermal plants in the country has resulted in a shortfall in electricity, signaling the dreaded load shedding days.

Crude oil from a key supplier, Nigeria is yet to reach Ghana, Joy News sources say.

The sources say light crude oil procured from Nigeria was expected to hit the shores of Ghana on Sunday, however, that has not happened yet due to a destruction of pipelines in the Niger Delta.

This means power plants, Asogli and Cenit in Tema and some plants at Abodze in the Western region are currently not operational.

Many parts of the country have been hit by an unplanned and erratic supply of power over the past two months, a situation that is affecting consumers due to non-availability of schedules for the power outages. In the last few days, the load shedding has intensified in some parts of the country.

Head of Research at energy think tank, Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Dr. Ishmael Ackah, says at the current spate of the load shedding exercise, it would be appropriate for the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to release a timetable.

According to him, the present situation is reminiscent of about six months ago when a country-wide load shedding exercise was regulated by a timetable.

He says the ECG is required by law to release a timetable when more than 200 megawatts of power have been shed within a month.

“For the past two months we’ve been shedding on average 240 megawatts daily, and we have not received gas from Nigeria for about a month now,” Dr Ackah told Joy News to stress his call for a regulated load shedding.

Meanwhile, Deputy Power Minister, John Jinapor, has promised the ECG will release a timetable if the current challenges with crude oil supply persist beyond July 8.


Source: Ghana| Myjoyonline.com | George Nyavor

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